Resistance
by tastewithouttalent
Summary: "Ukai can't figure out why Takeda is standing outside the store right now, where Ukai can see him but can't hear him." Takeda is acting even weirder than usual and Ukai is restless because of it.


Ukai has accepted the fact that he's never going to understand Takeda. He's had years of exposure, now, to the gentle illogic of the other man's insanity, more than enough time to attempt to comprehend how Takeda functions and to determine that it is an effort doomed to failure before he even begins. Moving in together left him with more questions than answers, but even in the midst of confusion over how Takeda can remember to hang his keys by the door every time but can never remember to brush his hair he's never regretted that decision. It destroyed whatever resistance he had left to the other man's charm, but it has also given him the warmth of another person in bed next to him, the slow soft pleasure of Takeda's smile when he first wakes up, the comfort of knowing that there is someone waiting for him when he gets off work.

Of course, generally the waiting is a little less overt than it is today. Takeda often goes straight home, more frequently just lingers in the store keeping up a running conversation that Ukai listens to the same way he listens to the radio, for the pleasure of the mental hum rather than for any comprehension, and if that happens more and more recently Ukai hasn't complained, and Takeda hasn't commented, and Ukai _likes_ it that way, has come to tentatively expect the comfort of a familiar presence while he works. So he can't figure out why Takeda is standing _outside_ the store right now, where Ukai can _see_ him but can't hear him.

He went out and asked, after the first half-hour passed and Takeda was still hovering with no apparent intention to either go home or actually let himself in. But Takeda jumped like he had been shocked, told Ukai he 'didn't want to bother him,' and shooed him back inside so awkwardly that Ukai's feelings were rather more bruised than otherwise. That was an hour ago, and by this point any sulky irritation Ukai was feeling has evaporated into a steady burn of confused curiosity. He can't even make a guess as to what Takeda is doing, why the other man is staying in eyesight without coming in. He's not even _doing_ anything, he's just standing in front of the door and all but vibrating with what is clearly some sort of anxiety.

"Excuse me."

Ukai jumps like he's been shocked, jerks his attention back to where he's sitting instead of where Takeda is. He recognizes the features of the woman smiling tolerantly at him, even though he doesn't have a name to put to them. She's one of the regulars, coming by every few days to buy a pair of buns or a soda.

"Sorry," he offers, less apologetic than he would be to a true stranger as he reaches to ring up her items.

"It's fine." He can hear the laughter under her voice, though her features are composed into only a faint smile. "That's your boyfriend, right? How long has he been out there?"

"Over an hour." Ukai huffs a sigh as he takes the money the woman offers and collects her change. "I have no idea what he's doing."

The woman coughs as Ukai drops the change into her hand, shakes her head at his silent offer of a bag. "You know, there's not many people out at this time of night." She's not looking at him at all as she collects her purchases. "And it's a bit intimidating, coming past him. It's bad for business."

"_Takeda_ is intimidating?" Ukai's voice veers high and incredulous. His customer does laugh at that before she shrugs.

"I'm just trying to give you an excuse to close early." She moves towards the door, pauses with her fingers on the handle. "It's painful to watch you two waiting for each other." She's pushing the door open as Ukai starts to flush red, ducking his chin as if that will have any effect on blocking the heat climbing into his cheeks. "See you later."

Ukai doesn't get up immediately. He waits until the woman has left, even a few minutes after so he can make sure she's out of eyeshot by the time he shoves himself to his feet and goes to turn the sign on the door from "Open" to "Closed." There's more to do, the whole closing-up process he needs to go through, but with just the door between them he can't resist the temptation to step outside. He can always come back later.

Takeda is turning towards him as soon as he pulls the door open, his eyes sparkling with so much enthusiasm it triggers Ukai's self-defense mechanism. The voice of rationality is telling him that that is mania, that he ought to lift his hands and back away slowly from that shine.

Ukai ignores that voice, turns the key to lock the door and steps in closer.

"What are you _doing_?" His voice is harsh but he's reaching out, fitting his fingers in against Takeda's without even thinking about the habit underlying the motion. Takeda is matching him, his fingertips skimming in against Ukai's wrist before they tangle together so the other can tug the blond in closer.

"Come on." That's not an answer but Takeda's already moving away, pulling at Ukai's hand to drag him in the direction of the setting sun. "We're going to go down to the river."

"What?" Ukai stumbles forward, falls into step just behind Takeda's nervous almost-jog so he can take the tension off his arm. "_Why_?"

"We have to go down to the river," Takeda repeats. Ukai can't see his face but he doesn't have to. Takeda's smile is gentle, and his grip is soft, but Ukai has learned by now that trying to resist something the other man wants is a doomed attempt, that refusal will be met with a blank lack of recognition and attempts to divert will be simply ignored. There's just no way to stop Takeda once he decides he's going to do something; in retrospect Ukai is pretty sure he was doomed the moment the other man set eyes on him.

It's not a long walk, and it's the shorter for the breathless pace Takeda is setting. It's not uncomfortable for Ukai, with his few inches of height advantage, but Takeda is breathing hard by the time they draw to a halt on the slanting bank of the river, his hand going warm and flushed in Ukai's.

"Okay." He turns to face Ukai, sliding his fingers free as he moves. The sun is behind Ukai's head - it must be blinding to the other but Takeda is smiling, wide and uncontrolled even though his eyes are huge with what looks like panic. Ukai can't imagine what could make the other look like that, what could cause him this much anxiety in the first place while still keeping that radiant delight on his lips.

Then Takeda drops to a knee, and Ukai suddenly has a singular, perfect explanation.

"I tried to plan a speech." Takeda is looking up at him, his position only exacerbating the difference in their height, and Ukai doesn't know what to do, can't think and can't move and can't really even breathe properly. "I was working on it for weeks." His smile is brilliant, wide and unfettered and sparkling all over his face. "But it wasn't _right_, so I thought I'd try something different."

He takes a breath. At least _he_'s breathing, even if it's too-fast with adrenaline; Ukai can't remember how his lungs work at all. "Remember when I wanted you to become the volleyball coach?"

Ukai nods, opens his mouth and chokes on an inhale. "Yeah." He coughs, clears his throat. "Of course. You were a real pain until I agreed."

Takeda laughs. The sound is like all the light in his eyes condensed into sound, like his emotion is overflowing the limitations of his body. "Good." He takes a breath, so slow and so deep Ukai can hear the way it flutters in his throat. "I'll be ten times more persistent about you marrying me."

Ukai knew what was coming. It's not like it's any kind of a surprise, not with the scenario and Takeda's position and the oddness of his behavior. He should be calm, those words in particular shouldn't be any harder to handle than what came before. But the air around him goes heavy, all his skin flushes hot, and when he blinks he can feel the threat of sudden tears behind his eyes.

"Oh." He doesn't sound like himself, he sounds damp and strained and _weird_ but he's pretty sure any delay is going to result in his throat closing up entirely, he has to get this out before that. "Well. I'll...I'll save you the effort, then."

Takeda's face was shining before. Ukai can see the hope in his eyes flare into a glow, can watch as excitement floods out into unfettered joy in every part of Takeda's face, settling into the shape of his mouth and the dark of his eyes until they look liquid and gold. He's on his feet again, so fast Ukai doesn't see him stand, he's just _there_, his fingers closing hard on the blond's elbows like he thinks the other is going to run away. "_Really_?"

He sounds so shocked Ukai chokes on a laugh, has to take a forced inhale to fight back the rush of emotion in his throat. "I don't know why you're surprised, I can't refuse you anything."

Takeda's laugh is brighter than the sunlight, catches Ukai's almost-tears into a bubble of amusement himself. When he leans in Takeda tips his chin up in expectation of a kiss, and Ukai gives him exactly what he wants.

He always does, after all.


End file.
